Ron Clark Ball was Wrongly Convicted

I am appalled at Judge Thomas Dannheisser and Russ Edgar, but I am not at all surprised. The Honorable Judge not only didn’t read most of the motions to which he ruled on (other than the State’s version), he ignored the facts of the case and the people involved.

Here are the letters sent to Judge Dannheisser:

Dear Judge Thomas Dannheisser

I am writing to you to plead once again on my son’s behalf. Something I was unable to do at his trial because Mr. Early did not allow me or one other witness to testify on his behalf. Ron is not guilty of all these things he has been charged with by his ex-fiancee/business partner, Rhea Kessler, who lost thousands of dollars on the stock market and thousands more on bad real estate deals, and has charged my son of default falsely. She has committed perjury, as has Mr. Edgar and Mr. Wells. Mr Edgar has said I was a victim of Ron’s. I may be a victim of Mr. Edgar’s but not a victim of Ron’s.

Ron has always had my interests at heart. When he bought my house, the equity he received from the sale was used on improvements to the house. He painted every room inside the house and all the boards on the outside as well as bought necessary appliances such as a washing machine and a clothes dryer and re-arranging the fixtures all for the beautification of the house. I have a beautiful home but unfortunately it is in foreclosure because Ron has been incarcerated for almost two years. Haven’t Ron and I suffered long enough?

Ron used some of the funds from the equity of the sale of the house to go to Colorado to have surgery on his left shoulder which he injured very badly when he slipped and fell on the balcony at Portafino where he was living at the time. Dr. Peter Millet, a world class shoulder specialist at the Steadman Clinic in Colorado and was the only doctor in the USA who was qualified to do such complicated shoulder surgery. The surgery was a successful but the recovery took about two months. Mr Edgar said his trip to Colorado was a pleasure trip.

Ron is a very intelligent person. When he was working with Wind Power System as COO, he was the brains in this system. He worked day and night on his phone and computer. I observed this with my own eyes because he was living at home at the time. If Mr. Logan Pierson would be honest with himself he would agree this is correct. I know at the end there was animosity between them, but before his conviction they had a very good working relationship. Ron could still be a contributing person to our society given the chance, I beg you to give him this chance.

Please Judge Dannheisser, consider all these things before you sentence Ron to 16 years to life in state prison. I am 94 years old and would never see him at home again.

I am writing in support of Ron Clark Ball, who comes before you for sentencing on January 12th.

I have known Ron for many years. We began our friendship in the eighties, and were brought together by our service in the US Navy. Ron and my husband at the time both flew Navy Fighter/Bomber Jets in Kingsville, TX in 1985 and beyond. I was an active duty Navy Nurse from 1979-85, then went active reserves when we moved to Kingsville. I stayed in the reserve component for another 20 years, retiring in 2005, and Ron kept in touch with me and my (now ex) husband throughout that time.

Ron and my husband (Peter Nicolai) knew each other prior to that time, as they had both been Navy pilots that flew off of US Naval Aircraft Carriers. Ron was then, and is now, a true patriot and a veteran with years of honorable service. His father was a war hero. Ron served during Operation Desert Storm, as did I.

Ron has the personality characteristics necessary for a Naval Aviator. He exemplified courage, honor and integrity then, and has continued to do so all along.

He is a published novelist (Falcon on the Tower 2007) and has written and lectured the DC Circuit extensively on terrorism, on threats to national security and our defense industry by cyber-attack, and threats of counterfeit/cloned electronic components coming from China!

He could never have accomplished what he did by being “average.” He would not have had the opportunities or connections he had in DC by being anyone other than who he was! He doesn’t deserve what is happening to him.

I have read extensively the information he and his various lawyers have gathered in his defense of these charges. I have seen many documents and evidence quite to the contrary of what the prosecutors have said against him. His ex-fiancee is a con artist of the highest order, and has managed to pay off or bribe enough people to keep Ron in jail and deprive him of numerous of his constitutional rights for over 2 years. She has perjured herself more than once!

NO ONE should be in a county jail for as long as Ron has been held. He has been railroaded and denied justice and due process repeatedly. It is incomprehensible to me and others the type of treatment he has received at the hands of what I can only call a sham system of justice in Escambia County.

I am pleading with you to do the right thing and grant him supervised probation while he appeals the verdict handed to him. He is not a criminal. He is not a flight risk. He has a 94 year old mother who needs her son. She has been threatened by the people who prosecuted Ron. They tried to take her home. All of her money. Tried to scare her off posting things on social media in Ron’s defense. Completely underhanded and disgraceful behavior by supposed professionals representing what I can only call a system of UN-Justice. Surely not justice. Not for him. There is proof out there of lies and collusion of a high magnitude if only someone would allow it to be seen. If someone would actually investigate who isn’t in the pockets of the prosecutors and the lying ex-fiancée.

Ron told me once he would rather stay in jail than admit to something he DID NOT DO, even if it shortened his sentence by a lot or got him out of jail. He said he would never bring that disgrace and dishonor to his family or himself. That’s not something guilty people typically do now is it?

Ron is a good person who got mixed up with the wrong woman and got steam-rolled by powerful people who know how to work the system to their benefit. They don’t want to be exposed as the true criminals, as liars, as perpetrators of “fake news” or suppression of evidence and will do whatever necessary to cover their tracks.

As a law-abiding American citizen, and as a Veteran of the US Navy, what has happened to Ron down there in Florida has scared me to death. It is shocking to know that this entire situation could happen to someone like him-or any of the rest of us quite possibly. I don’t feel very safe anymore. I wouldn’t step foot back in Escambia County. Ever.

Please do the right thing. Please grant him probation and release him from jail on his own recognizance to see his very elderly mother.

I spoke to him a few days ago, and he has not even been OUTSIDE in the fresh air but one time in over 2 years. ONE TIME IN 2 YEARS. Not even out in a yard with a big fence. NOTHING. How is that allowed? He is not a violent criminal…a thug, a pedophile, a rapist, a murderer. He was attacked several months ago (maybe it was early 2017) by an actual thug, injured, denied proper medical or dental care, and HE was put in isolation, rather than the inmates who hurt him. How can this be? How can this be allowed to continue? It’s like a bad sci-fi movie to hear what happens in that place….He has lost his freedom, his professional life, his job, his money, access to his family, everything!

There are a lot of people watching and waiting to see what will happen for Ron- a Veteran, a patriot, a novelist, a well-known speaker, a good son and friend to many. Please be someone who does the right thing, in full view of the MANY OTHERS who have done the wrong thing for over 2 years.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Lynn Nicolai, BSN RN

Dear Judge Thomas Dannheisser.

Mr. Ball and I first met working, to do with the US – Libya, Lockerbie settlement relating to Pan Am Flight 103. A Boeing 747 destroyed by a Libyan bomb over Scotland.

The US embargo ended 9 years later. After Libya finally accepts responsibility a settlement is reached.

In order to reach a settlement the Libyan Arab Airlines Aircraft fleet had to be evaluated specially as it had not had much in the way of spare parts for the duration of the embargo by the US. The fleet was in fact mainly not airworthy. Mr. Ball and the oil trading firm in Florida which he worked for, contracted my company, which I own, to do the valuations of the 54 aircraft owned by Libyan Arab Airlines, the state flight school in Benghazi, smaller aircraft used for various official and oil related purposes. The inspections took place in Amman Jordan but mainly in Tripoli and Benghazi Libya. This was a mixed array of aircraft from the DC3, several DHC Twin Otter aircraft, Cessna’s – smaller school aircraft, the French Caravelle and then a multitude of Fokker 27 aircraft, a Boeing 707, a few Airbus A300. We also inspected at their stores in Benghazi and in Jordan at Joramco Aircraft Maintenance facility, there where two A300’s at Joramco and spares.

Mr. Ball organised this operation, the engineering surveys, all logistics, security aspects and the flying which was covered in part by a Cessna Citation. Mr. Ball worked closely with US Governmental Agencies and specialised security from the US.

Mr. Ball was the liaison between the US and the Libyans in Libya with regard to this whole operation.

I found Mr. Ball, professional, he was exemplary in every respect and he is a likeable person, Ron’s life has taken him all over the world, first with his parents working for the US Government and then through his own service for the US flying F14’s of aircraft carriers.

We worked long and hard every day and got to know each other, – Ron has written books – e.g. “Falcon on the Tower” which is quite a good one. Ron is intelligent and he has a good sense of humour so befriending him was like osmosis. There is more to Ron than meets they eye because of his worldwide living / working experience, Ron is up on history and contemporary issues he is well read, he is a really nice man to talk to one on one – he never runs out of subject matter so it is a bit of a treat to get him alone and just talk about the world problems or sports…

Ron has never been a man I felt I could not trust or someone that did not have a moral compass in order – this is quite clear to me.

As a matter of fact I can’t think of any minus points – if I do the pros and cons in my mind I can only think of things that most men can be slightly tainted with; him being young earlier in life and perhaps him having done the “work hard play hard” routine to “well”; school pranks, swimming team pranks in school and so on, – tails that he has told me about.

Ron has proven a good friend over the years, he keeps in touch and is there for you if you need him. I have known Ron for 12 years, living in England and traveling around the globe in my work has not given my enough opportunities to catch up with Ron but the internet has helped.

I would go anywhere on any detail with Ron and recommend him to anyone!

This court case is strange to me looking at it from England, he seems to be in prison without much of due process. It looks like he has been trapped by a party that is after him for sinister motives or greed and this man does not deserve any of this.

I cannot imagine him being involved in any crimes at all.

When I look at his family and him; Father in the CIA, Mom the family support manager, Ron in the Navy flying fighter jets – and then his extended family; patriots all of them serving in Pakistan when Ron was a child and many other places it is beyond my my comprehension that Mr. Ball can still be in jail.

OK lawyers cost money and the legal system needs time to process cases but I really think Ron has had more than enough punishment, he has been attacked on several occasions and met substandard conditions. Ron’s mom is 94 and suffering greatly because of his situation, funds are dry.

Dear Sir, I refer to you learned judgement – please find the legal way of releasing my friend Ron, we all need him back in circulation not least his mom.

My parents both died in November last year whilst I was away, I would not like anything remotely similar to happen to Ron.

Best sincere regards

Halldor Hrafnsson

Your Honorable Judge Dannheisser.

I am writing this letter in hopes you can see it upon yourself to be as lenient as possible that the law allows you to be, in regards to the sentencing of Ron Clark Ball.

Ron has been a friend of my families for over 20 years. Ron also worked as a pilot and business development manager with my company for over two years. Ron always conducted himself in a professional and ethical manner.

Ron is a fellow Naval Aviator and served his country well. Since leaving my employ to pursue his love of writing adventure novels we have kept in touch. I know he had a long and happy relationship with Rhea and I am not sure what happened but find it hard to imagine Ron doing anything intentionally criminal.

I fully hope and believe Ron deserves a a chance to pay back his obligations versus being incarcerated for a lengthy period of time.

I hope you will take this email into consideration and I thank you for your time and service.

My name is Alfredo Velez Jr. My Parents and Ron Ball’s parents met in 1948 while stationed in Bolivia serving on a mission for the US Army, Department of Defense

Ever since then our families have maintained a relationship. As the families grew so did the friendships. I have known Ron Ball and maintained a friendship ever since he was born to the Ball family.

Ron served as an aviator for the US Navy. After having served honorably he returned to civilian life. We stayed in touch throughout the years.

In 1995, Ron and I maintained both a friendship and a business relationship. He was a stockbroker and handle my account as well as the accounts of my closest friends.

Ron always worked with the highest ethical standards and his guidance conformed to all the SEC rules.

We have shared many moments together, and with our respective families and friends. I have always found him to be very respectful to everyone.

During the entire time that I have known Ron Ball, I have nothing but admiration and respect for the way he handles himself.

I attribute his high moral character from the teachings that we received from our military parents.

We used to sit down and talk about how our parents taught us the way of the military; from how to correctly answer a phone call that came to the residence, to respecting all individuals. We were required to live by those rules without any deviation at any time.

I write this to share with you the Ron Ball I have always known.

Thank you for considering this short words and my thoughts of Ron as an individual and his character.

Respectfully,

Alfredo Velez Jr

Dear Ms. Wilson (for Judge Dannheisser),

I have not seen Ron Clark Ball in almost 40 years (since 1981) yet I feel strongly compelled to write a letter in his support. Ron and I are Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity brothers. I was a freshman when he was a senior. I was the first non-white person ( Jamaican born ) to rush a southern fraternity at a southern university. There were a few fraternity brothers that did not like the hue of this pledges skin colour and they harassed me greatly. I had a very difficult pledge period from this small amount of highly vocal individuals. What I do remember is that Ron stood up strongly against these troglodytes when he didn’t have to, while many stood by silent, and for that moral stand he earned my eternal gratitude.

I kept in touch with Ron sporadically over the years and was very proud of his combat service for this country in Iraq. I had wanted to fly for the Navy also but unfortunately could not because my eyesight went bad because of too much studying of my engineering textbooks. I always felt happy whenever I saw any pictures of Ron in any sort of flying photograph.

I don’t know what the circumstances are that ended in Ron’s conviction but the man I know is a good, trustworthy, and moral person. That is all I can speak to concerning Ron. If you could remand Ron into my custody in lieu of any additional prison time I would wholeheartedly take him into my house for as long as he wished to stay with me and my family. I say this knowing that it is not a realistic legal option available to you but only to show you the depth of trust that I feel for this man. I hope you can find it in your heart to recommend that Ron not serve a day more than he has already served. It does not serve our country well, in any way, to keep Mr. Ball incarcerated any longer. He has suffered enough.

Please reply and let me know that you have received this email. I will send a hard copy via the United States Postal Service also.

Sincerely yours,

Bruce Parsons, Ph.D.

To The Honorable Judge Thomas Dannheisser,

Regarding My Good Friend, Ron Clark Ball:

I’ve known Ron for over 25 years, having met at the same financial advisory firm, working together as advisors. We became instant friends, having similar interests. One being we are both pilots: me on a private level and him flying F14s for The Navy. I was even able to climb into the cockpit of an F18 when 2 of his Navy pals flew in for a local air show.

I’ve spoken to Ron and his 94 year old mother on a regular basis and have followed his case with interest and disbelief. I just didn’t think this could happen to someone of Ron’s character. I have never known Ron to lie, cheat, or steal. In fact, his level of integrity would easily surpass most people.

He served our country, as did his father, and is as much a patriot as anyone could be. He is a published author.

Not being well-versed on legal matters, I can’t really fathom what went wrong with Ron’s “defense”, other than the fact that he nor his family could afford an attorney. It seemed that there was plenty of evidence and witnesses for Ron’s side of “the story”.

At this point, we can only ask you for leniency in Ron’s sentence. He does not deserve more time spent in jail, just wasting away. He could be helping his mother live out the rest of her life with the comfort of her son at home with her.

He could, once again, be a contributor to society.

Ron is an intelligent, honest, caring person who has a lot more to give to this world.

I pray that you can find it in your power to allow him a second chance.

Respectfully,

Joel Kamphuis

Everyone knows the criminal justice system is flawed in practice, but in Escambia County, it is particularly draconian and counter-American due process. If you are falsely arrested in Pensacola, you will be convicted if you don’t have the financial muscle to challenge the powers that be. Most of the local attorneys do not have the spine to fight the injustice because after all, they “do have to live and work in Escambia County” What does that tell you?